Functional Recovery After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Longitudinal Perspective

Functional limitation of the lower limb following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction up to 72 weeks

“…Patients with inadequate one-legged hop test scores were considered at increased risk for giving way during functional activities [4,7,9,15]. Considering that in our previous study [13] 54 weeks after surgery the LSI for single hop was in the normal range and the LSI for the one-legged hop vertical jump was pathological, we investigated the progression of functional recovery 72 weeks after ACL knee reconstruction.…”

“…Hop tests appear to be valuable as a general screening assessment. Functional tests more specific to functional capacity, simulating everyday activities have been designed to evaluate knee function [1,2,4,7,8,15].…”

“…Various one-legged tests for distance−single hop, triple hop, 6-minute timed hop and cross over hops− [1,2,7,12] and the vertical jump [13] have been established as measurements of the return to a functional level and the patients perception of knee function [1,5,7,9,13]. The one-legged hop tests for distance provide assessment of functional stability of the involved leg [12,14] and have been established as valid and reliable measurements with healthy subjects in studies by Hu et al [8] and Greenberger et al [6].…”

“…Besides the horizontal jump tests the vertical jumping test is a good tool to develop standards for the evaluation of lower extremity strength and to assess a functional profile properly [5,7,13]. During rehabilitation the vertical jump provides a test for the assessment of strength, coordination and the patient's willingness to accept weight on the affected leg and have confidence in it [19].…”

Asymmetrical Lower Extremity Loading After ACL Reconstruction: More Than Meets the Eye

“…Jump height or distance should be reduced when the vertical force or internal knee extensor moment are low during take-off; therefore, it is not surprising that deficits are seen in single-leg hopping on the surgical side. 11,23 However, successful compensations on the nonsurgical side, or at the ankle and hip on the surgical side, could mask and mitigate the effects of asymmetrical loading on performance. 20 The lead article in this month's issue provides evidence that performance in double-limb activities can be unimpaired.…”